Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-04-29
THE MARTYR PRESIDENT.
The Secrecy About Abraham LincOln's
Resting Place Finally Re.
moved.
His Body and That Of His Wife Placed
Side by Side in q Cemented
Tomb,
[srR1sGr1ELp I'LL, CORRESPONDENTS.

GASSOu1pt WhS lhA " 6VCH1 Cu0 xcluhIA VI
Abraham Lincoln-there has been a mys-
terry as to the exact place where tie ashes
of the martyr President are lying. That
mystery has at last been removed. On
Thursday last, the anniversary Of his death,
the remains were brought out from the quiet
and secrecy which they have SO long occn-
pied, and deposited finally and forever by
the side of those of Mrs. Lincoln at q point
In the monument which can be made known
to everybody. The work of removal was
in charge Of the Lincoln Guard
Of Honor. This organization was formed
Soon after the attempt to steal the remains
turned over to its charge by the Lincoln
Monument Association in November Of
that year, the Guard of Honor binding
itself to keep the trust with all care and
diligence.
There had been much more than tie
usual Dir of secrecy about the Lincoln
monument for o week past, but it was
known that some sort of masonry work was
going on in the North Hall. though tho
public was given to understand that this
wa merely some necessary repairs. 10
was in fact the preparations for the re-
burial-the building Of the tomb.
There were present at the monument on
Thursday morning o. M. Hatch, George
N. Black, Lincoln Dubois, John w. Bum,
G. G. Brown, Jacob Bum, and James G.
Conkling, representing the Lincoln Monu-
ment Association, and the following repre-
senting the Lincoln Guard of Honor:
General Jasper N. Reese, j. Carroll Power,
j. P. Lindley, Colonel n. B. Virgins, E.
s. johnson, Horace Copin, and Clinton l..
Conkling. The gentlemen mentioned met
promptly in the memorial hall of the
monument preparatory to the work be-
fore them. The trust papers given by
the guard to the monument association
at the time the former took charge of
the remains were spread out on the
glass cases in Memorial Hall and exam
ined by all present. While this was going
on Wash Irwin, one of the men having
the contract for doing the masonry work
preparatory to the reburial, came into the
hall carrying with him a pair of mason's
chisels and a hammer. He was closely
followed by half q dozen men carrying
workmen's tools. A brief consultation fol-
lowed and Custodian Power then an
nounced that it was time to begin the work.
The masons opened the entrance leading
to the dark crypt in the very center Of the
monument, Immediately under the obelisk,
and began to cut aud chisel away at the
cement which held in place the
stones barring the way to the
secret resting-place of the remains Of
Abraham Lincoln. As one after another
of the workmen became tired from working
in the cramped and narrow recess thry
came out and gave place to others, who
F! pressed on with the work. The labor was
! continued for more than an hour, at the
end of which time the coffin, with the sacred
remains of Lincoln, was handed out by
the workmen and received in the hands Of
eight men belonging to the two a~ssocia-
tons, who laid it upon two rests prepared
for the purpose a little to the right Of the
center Of the hall, placing the head
to the north and the feet toward
the door. The casket consisted first Of
q large pine box ~inclosing a red cedar box.
Within the latter was q walnut coffin
inch thi k, and this inclosed ell that re-
mains to the world but the great name and
fame of Abraham Lincoln. The encase-
ments were opened, and here, twenty-five
years from the day OF his death, was his
body clearly recognizable as such by the
gentlemen standing about, all of whom, but
one or two, had known him intimately in
life. The silver plate on the coffin lid was
perfectly bright, as was the lettering:
ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Born February IL, 1909; died April Is, 1866.
The coffin was then sealed up and car
ried to its final resting place in the vault IN
the north hall of the monument. Imme-
diately in front of the entrance to this
north hall, and in the very center of its
floor a tomb had been sunk five feet deep,
six feet wide. and eight feet long. This is
lined with stone securely laid in cement,
and this stone casing similarly lined with
brick. Inside of this casing the dimen-
sions are as given above. Into this tomL
the coffin containing the dust Of Lincoln
,-.- ,r4- s- ~1--~l A.
west side-that is, to the right as
the visitor enters the door of the north hall.
The head lies toward the door. The cof-
fin with the remains of Mrs. Lincoln was
then brought around from the south hall
and lowered into the tomb by the side o.
her husbands body. Ire masons imme-
diately went to work, and a low brick arch
was sprung over the caskets. This was
covered with hydraulic cement, and above
this rutble and Stag mingled with cement
were filed in, bringing the surface of the
tomb up to the floor. The stones of the
floor were then replaced, and the work was
ended.
At the memorial exercises held by the
Lincoln Guard of Honor on Friday, the
guard presented in full the history of itr
relations to the keeping of the Presidents
remains, detailing the reasons for its or
ganization and what its entire action in the
matter has Leen. There was very little in
the history, However, beyond what is out
lined ABOVE, that would be of any special
public interest.
III Plot to Steal the Remains.
The night of Nov, z, 1876, Mullins and
Hughes, two Chicago thieves. made an
unsuccessful attempt to steal the body of
the late President Lincoln. The marble
sarcophagus in which it was inclosed, and
which was exposed to the view of visitors
through the iron grating on the north side
of the monument, was taken out; but at
this point the robbers were interfered with
by certain persons secreted in the monu-
ment, who had received information that
the robbery was to be attempted, and aban-
doned their strange booty. Some weeks
| afterward Mullins and Hughes were ar.
rested in Chicago, taken to Springfield,
tried, convicted, and sentenced to short
terms in the penitentiary for larceny, here
being in Illinois no law against body
snatching.
stStOkcs on Memory"